The Stakes

On April 29th, the 25th anniversary of the L.A. riots, the residents of South Los Angeles came together to commemorate, reflect, and organize. Producer Mukta Mohan and Senior National Correspondent Jamil Smith went to the corner of Florence and Normandie, where the unrest began, to speak to the people, young and old, who have been rebuilding and strengthening their neighborhoods through activism and art. Interviews include Rodney King's daughter and his first wife, the aunt of Latasha Harlins, and several community activists.

Welcome to The Stakes. This week, Senior National Correspondent Jamil Smith sits down with Let America Vote founder Jason Kander—the Army veteran and former Missouri Secretary of State who narrowly lost his U.S. Senate race last fall to Republican incumbent Roy Blunt. They talked about his new organization's mission to stop voter suppression and gerrymandering; the President’s new “election integrity” commission; and that ad when he assembled a rifle blindfolded.

For several months beginning in late summer 2016, protesters camped out in North Dakota to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline — a $3.7 billion project that is currently transporting oil across four states. The self-described "water protectors" wanted to protect sacred Standing Rock Sioux sites that pipeline construction could destroy, and worried about potential contamination of the Missouri River should a rupture happen. At their peak, the protest camps housed several thousands of people from all over the country, including members from hundreds of different tribes. On December 4, 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that the pipeline would not be permitted at Standing Rock. Two days later the tribal council’s chairman told water protectors that it was time to pack up and go home. On March 24 of this year, President Trump issued a memo announcing that the State Department had given final permission to proceed with the Dakota Access Pipeline through Standing Rock. By March 28, Energy Transfer Partners announced that there was crude oil in the pipeline under Lake Oahe. In late 2016, MTV News writer Marcus Ellsworth and podcast producer Kasia Mychajlowycz traveled to the Oceti Sakowin Camp, a large allegiance of smaller camps containing an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people, to talk to water protectors, volunteers, and allies about why they were standing up against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and what they’d do when December 5 rolled around. Voices featured in this show include Eva Cardenas, André Perez, George Pletnikoff Jr., Andre Nunez, and Liz George. This episode of “The Stakes” was produced by Kasia Mychajlowycz, Michael Catano, James T. Green, and Mukta Mohan and is part of the MTV Podcast Network. You can subscribe to "The Stakes" and other fine MTV Podcasts productions at podcasts.mtv.com

Welcome back to “The Stakes.” This week, producer Mukta Mohan brings us stories from Friendship Park: the only place along the 2,000 miles of border between the United States and Mexico where people from both countries can talk to each other face-to-face.

This week on The Stakes, senior national correspondent Jamil Smith speaks to Nicole and Akeem Browder, the siblings of Kalief Browder, who spent three years in Rikers Island without a trial. His powerful story was made into a six-part documentary series, Time: The Kalief Browder Story, which premiered on Spike on March 1.

Senior national correspondent Jamil Smith talks with Congresswoman Maxine Waters about going viral after 37 years of public service, and why she's no fan of the current administration. Plus, producer Mukta Mohan speaks with Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong of GoNightClubbing about the time they spent documenting New York City’s punk and no wave scenes from 1975 to 1980.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” where this week we're diving into the art world. Doreen St. Félix spoke with 61-year-old painter Kerry James Marshall — whose just-closed show "Mastry" drew huge crowds to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Breuer building in New York. The legendary artist reflected on what has changed over the course of his 35-year career, and what has remained the same — namely, his commitment to portraying only black subjects.

"You know you try to have fun with how scary this might be. I think ultimately comedy is cathartic. I think it's empowering. I think it's important to laugh at the things that scare you because I think it can help you.  You can fight that person more effectively. But I'm telling jokes but I'm going to be honest it's a hard time." We’ve got a special episode for you this week featuring Jamil Smith in conversation with comedian Dean Obeidallah, host of the eponymous SiriusXM radio show. Jamil and Dean cover a broad range of subjects, from the Muslim Ban to what to make of the first weeks of Trump’s presidency.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,”  where we're trying our best to make sense of a world that increasingly defies the rules of logic. Coming up on the show today: Part 1: MTV News staff writer Doreen St. Félix talks with I Am Not Your Negro director Raoul Peck, whose film continues the legacy of one of America’s most notable writers and social critics. Part 2: Producer James T. Green heads to the Bronx Documentary Center for "Whose Streets? Our Streets!” an exhibit that acts as a testament to the deep spirit of resistance that we're feeling all over the country right now. Part 3: Poet-in-residence Marcus Ellsworth reminds us why we continue to fight back against modern racism with his work, “The Ghost Of Jim Crow.” Thanks for being with us on this journey, internet.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” a rundown of the week’s news — without the talking heads. Coming up: Part 1: We venture to a small town upstate with a long history in the fight for women’s rights, as writer Jaime Fuller and producer Kasia Mychajlowycz report from the Women’s March in Seneca Falls, New York — the birthplace of the American women’s suffrage movement. Part 2: Producer James T. Green chats with Robyn Kanner, designer and co-founder of MyTransHealth, about the shortcomings of the Women's March — such as their non-inclusion of trans rights — and what cis-white women can do to become better feminists. Part 3: In a country that continues to push marginalized folks into the corners, safe spaces are becoming more important, more necessary than ever. Producer Mukta Mohan takes us to a legendary DIY venue in Los Angeles called The Smell to find out why it’s so important to musicians and fans, and what they’re doing to keep it open. Part 4: Style writer Gabby Noone reads her essay "Everything I Know About Style I Learned From Mary Tyler Moore" in honor of the legendary actress who passed away at 80 years old this week.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” a rundown of the week’s news — without the talking heads. As always, we’ve got a great show for you, so grab your coffee or tea, put in your earbuds, and let’s get to it. Coming up: Part 1: Politics writer Jane Coaston talks with transgender equality advocate Erica Lachowitz about what the Trump presidency means for the fight to repeal North Carolina's HB2. Part 2: Politics writer Jaime Fuller meets with Dr. Yuval Neria to investigate something a lot of us probably identify with: the connection between the 24-hour news cycle and anxiety. Part 3: Senior national correspondent Jamil Smith sits down with Sherrilyn Ifill, the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Part 4: MTV News’s poet-in-residence Marcus Ellsworth leaves us with a call to action.

While the nation reflects on President Barack Obama's impact during his last days in office, we can't forget FLOTUS Michelle Obama. MTV Founders editor Julie Zeilinger speaks with WNYC Editor of Special Projects and LA Times critic-at-large Rebecca Carroll about her essay about Michelle Obama's impact on her as well as the position of First Lady  — as well as her refusal to conform to gendered and racialized stereotypes, her unique feminist identity, and what her future may hold.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” a rundown of the week’s news — without the talking heads. This week is all about action, so let’s get into it. Coming up on the show today: Part 1: Writer Marcus Ellsworth talks with Ash-Lee Henderson, co-director of Tennessee's Highlander Research and Education Center — otherwise known as the place Rosa Parks was trained before the Montgomery bus boycott, and where the song “We Shall Overcome” became a civil rights anthem. Henderson is the first queer black woman to hold that position with the historic organization. Part 2: Ana Marie Cox sits down with Angel Padilla, one of the authors of the Indivisible Guide — a site that shares practical strategies for resisting the Trump agenda. Part 3: Producers Michael Catano and Kasia Mychajlowycz chat with two winners of this year’s Future Cities Accelerator, a program that gave $1 million away to 10 groups tackling problems faced by poor people in cities: Rose Afriyie, co-founder of mRelief, and Jimmy Chen, founder and CEO of Propel.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” where this week is all about looking ahead. Coming up on the show today: Part 1: We take a look at the future of humanitarian aid as producer Kasia Mychajlowycz speaks with Sunita Grote, manager of UNICEF’s Innovation Fund, about how they’re investing in drones to help children around the world. Part 2: Producer James T. Green talks about the evolution of libraries with Josie Parker of the Ann Arbor District Library — which is lending out way more than books. Part 3: Producer Mukta Mohan makes a pilgrimage to Maja D'Aoust, a.k.a. the White Witch of The West to find out what the ~ stars ~ have in store for us this year. Part 4: Poet in residence Marcus Ellsworth is here with a new piece titled "Choose Your Words Wisely."

Welcome to a special edition of “The Stakes,” where we’re taking a look back at one of our best pieces from the past year — plus a little something new. Coming up: Part 1: Senior national correspondent Jamil Smith sits down with civil rights legend John Lewis and his two collaborators on a recent graphic-novel trilogy. Part 2: Our poet in residence Marcus Ellsworth is back with "The Last First Breath," a poem about being suspended in the timeless space between this year and the next.

Welcome to a special holiday edition “The Stakes,” where we’re taking a look back at one of our best pieces from the past year — plus a little something new.  Coming up, we’ve got an extended version of music writer Hazel Cills’s interview with Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne, a.k.a. The Blow, on womanproducer.com — their digital archive of women making their own sonic universes. We're also featuring a poem from Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, author of the acclaimed book, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, called “And Who, This Time.”

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” MTV’s “orange in your Christmas stocking” of podcasts. We’re tasty and sweet! Just peel us! That’s not weird, and I resent any implications to the contrary! Coming up on the show today: - MTV Podcast Director Michael Catano speaks to Rebecca Craven of the Pipeline Safety Trust, an independent organization that promotes pipeline safety, to find out how common pipeline failures actually are — and what’s at risk when something goes wrong. - Producer James T. Green hangs out with Kimberly Drew, a.k.a. Museum Mammy, whose Tumblr helped millions of people learn about black contemporary artists. - Correspondent Gaby Wilson talks with Texan fashion designer Subhi Taha about his eponymous line of androgynous clothing that he calls “modestwear.” - Marcus Ellsworth, our poet in residence, takes on the humanitarian horrors unfolding in Syria and how to turn empathy into energy for what comes next.

Welcome back to “The Stakes,” where we don’t mind that it’s getting darker earlier and earlier, because there are no windows in our podcast studio. Coming up on the show today: - We check in with organizers at Standing Rock to learn what’s next in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. - Bandcamp managing editor Jes Skolnik talks to Jessica Hopper, MTV’s editorial director of music, about the fire at an Oakland, California, venue that killed 36 people and the importance of DIY spaces like Ghost Ship. - Artist Molly Soda, whose radically accessible work mostly lives on the internet, talks with Darcie Wilder, also known as @333333333433333. - Our favorite poet-in-residence, Marcus Ellsworth, performs his poem “Call Me Nero.”

For months, protesters have been camping out in North Dakota to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a $3.7 billion project that will transport oil across four states. Supporters state that the pipeline will bring millions of dollars to the area, create jobs, and decrease U.S. reliance on foreign oil; opponents want to protect sacred Standing Rock Sioux sites that pipeline construction could destroy, and worry about potential contamination of the Missouri River if a rupture were to happen. The protest camps have grown to house several thousands of people from all over the country, including members from hundreds of different tribes. Now, they’re facing pressure from authorities who say everyone must leave the camp by December 5. MTV News writer Marcus Ellsworth and podcast producer Kasia Mychajlowycz traveled to the Oceti Sakowin camp, a large allegiance of smaller camps containing an estimated 7,000-8,000 people, to talk to water protectors, volunteers, and allies about why they’re standing up against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and what they’ll do when December 5 rolls around. Voices featured in this show include Eva Cardenas, André Perez, George Pletnikoff Jr., Andre Nunez, and Liz George. You can learn more about the mission of the Oceti Sakowin camp, as well as donate to their efforts at http://www.ocetisakowincamp.org/. To learn more about the Indigenous Peoples Power Project, visit http://ip3action.org/. This episode of The Stakes was produced by Kasia Mychajlowycz, Michael Catano, James T. Green and Mukta Mohan for the MTV Podcast Network. You can subscribe this and other MTV Podcasts productions wherever you find your favorite shows.

Welcome back to "The Stakes," the podcast where we collectively try to untangle the colossal clusterfuck that is politics, news, and social justice in the year 2016. Coming up on the show today: Part 1: MTV News podcast producer James T. Green talks to Al Buford, who calls himself the spark of the 1966 and 1968 Chicago riots and who once shared some history with Green during a chance encounter in an Uber. Part 2: MTV music writer Hazel Cills asks Jillian C. York of the Electronic Frontier Foundation how we can protect our data and digital spaces from surveillance. Part 3: James T. Green is back with Maria Yuan, the founder of Issue Voter, a website that allows users to learn about legislation before it passes on Capitol Hill, tell federal reps what they think, and track how they vote — all from a smartphone. Part 4: Friend of “The Stakes” and host of The Memory Palace, Nate DiMeo, talks with 24-year-old Jose Barboza, a volunteer for Promise Arizona, an organization that works to harness the power of the Latino community in the state. DiMeo and Barboza spoke five days before the election ... and then again afterward. Part 5: Our poet-in-residence Marcus Ellsworth shares an essay about how people have been reacting to President-elect Trump and suggesting how and why we need to continue to push forward.